


Under the radar

by MyCn18



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (even Tony), Avengers Family, Everyone is in Wakanda, Everything that could happen in Marvel's World, Friendship, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, T'Challa (Marvel) Is a Good Bro, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:38:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8809948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyCn18/pseuds/MyCn18
Summary: After Tony joins the others in Wakanda, escaping the government’s restrictions, our heroes will have to face T’Challa’s enemies, accept changes and form strange alliances. Also, a bigger threat is on its way to earth.
-This is going to be a long story. See other notes inside-





	1. Scott's Mission-Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I must warn you that this is my first attempt at fan fiction and that English is not my first language so, if you see big errors please, let me know. I decided to publish this work because the end of Captain America:Civil War left me with the question "What are they going to do while they are in Wakanda?" and I was sad to see that Scott Lang had very little space. I hope that you will enjoy this.

Sometime during the fourth month of their stay, T’Challa had greeted Tony Stark at the entrance of his palace and declared him a guest, allowing the inventor to live in close quarters with the rest of the group as long as he needed.

Clint was still pissed at him and Tony couldn’t blame him.  
Sam seemed rather indifferent to his presence but the billionaire knew he was displeased, he simply didn’t feel the need to show it.  
When Wanda was in the same room she glared daggers at him. Tony silently thanked her for not using her powers on him.  
Steve was a little detached, even if he tried to be friendly, Tony could see the strain that Bucky's hatred for him was putting on their relationship.  
Bucky was a different matter.  
At first they avoided each other in a silent agreement of peace (truce, for the sake of everyone) but in the end, all that was needed was a ‘Scott Lang’ to put them in the same room without destroying something or someone.

Scott was the first of them who approached him in a friendly way. He knew little of the man, but their shared passion for technology and mechanics had provided them some good chats and tinkering that eventually ended up in improving everything they could find.  
At some point, Lang decided that it had become his new mission to get the other teammates to interact with Tony. He wanted the man to regain even a little of their trust, their friendship.

It all started with a simple statement that Tony made during one of their chats.

“Imagine what we could do together if we were to redesign from scratch Sam’s suit.” he wondered aloud while sipping some of the scotch he had brought with him from New York.  
He practically FELT the excitement and happiness Scott wore written all over his face at that.

“It would be so cool! We have to do it!” 

The moment Tony looked at him, the first image he could muster up in his mind was a little puppy wagging happily.

He snorted “Well, you tell Sam that Tony Stark want to touch his suit and I can assure you that you’ll be back with a beautiful black eye.”

“No, No! I have been working with him on that suit for three months already and I know that he wants some additional things that only your expertise can provide. I have the perfect excuse!” Scott beamed at him and Tony felt himself responding without meaning to with a smile. God, the man was impossibly cute. Yes, he was considering a grown-ass man ‘cute’.

The evening of the same day, Scott entered his room sporting a black eye but he was smiling, what a surprise.

“Hey Z, what happened to your eye?” Tony greeted him with a smug smirk to cover the disappointment for Sam distrust.

“Well…it doesn’t matter. Sam said that we can start tomorrow!” the man said smiling.

At that Tony got confused “Wait, what?”

“He wants some feather-like knifes that come out of the wings as weapon improvement” answered Scott, still missing the point of Tony’s confusion.

“And the black eye? What happened?”

“well..” he fucking blushed, Tony couldn’t believe that this man was a superhero “I..sort of asked him what I wanted to ask…in the wrong place and moment to ask it…?” and the rambling mess was even worse, Tony hated feeling fond of people.

“What? Scott, you are a clever guy, I know you are. Now, why don’t you speak english and let me understand what happened with Sam?” he gestured to a chair in hopes that a seated Scott would be a calmer Scott (it worsened the situation, the man was hyperactive).

“Oh..thank you…for the ‘clever’ remark…anyway, I went to find Sam this afternoon, after we talked and he was in the gym and I sort of ‘stalked’ towards him, I didn’t want to disturb him-“  
At that Tony put one hand at the bridge of his nose “Wait, Wait Scott. You mean to tell me that you went to a soldier from behind him, silently, while he was punching something without thinking about his reflexes?” 

Scott turned a bit more pink and looked down sheepishly.  
“You, my friend, are the craziest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.” Tony said shaking his head and smiling.

“I am a good guy! I didn’t want to scare him!”  
Tony burst out laughing “But that’s exactly what you did!”

“ANYWAY!” Scott cut him “He thanks us and tomorrow morning, at 10 he’ll come by at the lab to tell us his plans and hear our ideas, what do you say?”  
“It’s perfect.” Tony said seriously, some tension lifted from his shoulders with that new development. 

Considering the man in front of him, Stark smiled sincerely to Scott “Thank you Lang.”  
A little flustered, the other man nodded…then shook his head in denial to go back nodding again and smiled happily at the inventor.

Scott Lang was an awkward man, but it was how they liked him.


	2. Scott's mission-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lang manages to bring the Winter Soldier and the inventor in the same room. Let's see how it goes.

After the success with the new Flacon Suit, Scott was able to ideate new interactions between Tony and the others. At the end of the month he was able to reconnect Tony with most of them. 

Wanda was still weary of him but her acceptance and some shared jokes were enough. 

Clint had been the one to turn back to friendly faster than anyone, his moments of pure stupidity and immaturity were a charm to Tony's attempts at reconciliation.

Steve was able to spend a bit more time with him and relax a little.

Sam was his usual smug self.

Bucky….the Winter Soldier still had to see Tony.  
Ok, Scott admitted that probably it was better that way, but after three weeks of shared quarters, the BOOM of the ticking bomb was on the horizon.  
Sooner or later, fate would put the one in front of the other and it would be chaos.

When Bucky called Scott about a problem with the new prosthetic, he had an idea and called Tony to meet him at the labs.

Once they entered the white room there was a clang and Scott prayed whatever god there was that he wouldn’t die without seeing Cassie for the last time.

“What.Is.He.Doing.Here.” Bucky growled menacingly but, thankfully for Scott, he didn’t move.

“I..uhm…I thought it would have been better if I brought someone who really knew what we are talking about…”

The silence that followed was punctuated only by the heavy breathing of both Stark and Barnes so Scott spoke again trying to diffuse the situation as best as he could.

“I know that both of you would live on better without seeing each other. But…Bucky I always help you with the mechanicals problems you don’t want to bring to the doctors, but I am really…an I mean REALLY…scared that one of those times I screw up and hurt you. SO….Stark, if you could be so kind as to accept my apologies for not telling you about this and help me here…..” the rest was left hanging in the air in hopes of a mutual understanding and a truce.

“No. I don’t want him anywhere near me.”  
“You heard Scotty? I can’t force him. So, if you need anything you know where to find me.” but before Tony could exit the room, Lang decided that it was time to use his secret weapon.  
The one that could obtain only “YES” as an answer, Cassie's favorite weapon. 

“Tony! Tony wait!”  
When Iron Man turned, he didn’t expect to be faced with an astonishing pair of sad and pleading blue eyes. It was a punch in the guts and, when Scott noticed the hesitation, he threw in a quivering lip for good measure.

“For Godssake! You can’t be serious! Don’t give me those hurt puppy eyes! It’s not fair!” but while he was yelling at him, Tony went to one of the lab’s chair and settled down as if he were a petulant child.

‘Time for the Soldier now’ Scott thought mischievously. Turning towards said man he found him staring between Tony and Scott disbelievingly. When he detected the look Scott directed at him, Bucky jumped a little. He didn’t expect to be affected this much by one look but he felt his insides protest at the hurt look on his teammate face.  
“Lang…I can’t trust him….” he felt guilty saying that and that same fact was alarming.

Then a little teardrop escaped Scott’s eye and that was what won the fight.

The soldier sighed defeated “I can’t believe I am actually consenting to this….Lang, only you…” he then proceeded to sit on the chair in front of Stark and extended his prosthetic arm gritting his teeth at the idea of Stark touching and tinkering with it.

Scott instantly beamed while Stark and Barnes sighed a long-suffering sigh, he had to thank Cassie for the technique.

From there on it went smoothly. Scott still had to work as bridge of communication between the two but, it was progress anyway.

“I think that for today it's enough. Tomorrow, Knowing that I have to do this-“ Stark said fixing Scott with a glare that went wasted since said man smiled innocently “-I will bring the right tools and I think I have something that could give you more extent of action without causing damage to the surface, ok?” he told Barnes who was looking to him as if he was trying to decipher his persona, eventually the soldier nodded.

The next day, both Tony and Bucky asked Scott to assist and he was glad to. The only problem was: Scott that day was clumsier than ever.

He entered the lab -after a little fight with the handle of the door- to find the other two looking at him quizzically. Scott blushed a little and chuckled nervously. He then went to sit on the chair next to one of the tables.

After ten minutes of silent work, Scott clumsiness acted.

“OW! SHIT! Fuck! what the hell?!”

Stark had jumped at the sound while Barnes had turned and zeroed on Scott.  
Both men scurried towards Scott.

“Scott what is it? Let me have a look!” Stark pressed and took the hand that was covering the elbow. There the shirt was bloodied but it wasn’t so much as to worry about a bad injury. Bucky in the mean time had gone and taken a piece of cloth to wash with cold water. 

“’s nothin’, I’m fine. Jus’ didn’t see the knife…” and he promptly blushed, as always.  
Bucky snorts and Tony looks at him “What?” he snaps at the snickering soldier who points at the supposed offending “Knife”….

It was a Saw, a rather impossible-to-miss-big saw. And just like that Tony found himself smiling along with the Winter Soldier while tending to an affronted-looking Scott.  
“Well…it wasn’t there before….because I didn’t see that!” and the other two outright laughed.

“C’mon Hawk-eye, let’s get you patched up.” Barnes said helping him standing.  
“But you were working! You didn’t left any tool in his arm right?”

“Don’t worry Z, He is fine and it’s not something that I can’t do tomorrow” and Tony winked at him while opening the doors of the lab.

After that, Scott became one of the short list of arguments that the soldier and the inventor talked about without risking World War three. He was flattered but at the same time he was affronted by the fact that they discussed mainly about his clumsiness.

But if it meant agreement, then he could still smile happily at another mission accomplished.

Scott was a little happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the second chapter, dear readers. From now on, I will do my best to post a new chapter every week.  
> You can rest assured that for 9 weeks you will get new chapters. I have yet to decide the day in which I can post the others. I will let you know in the next one! Bye everyone, let me know what you think of this story!


	3. Dear Little Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! A little action for our heroes. Some trouble and friendship.

Until he wasn’t.

A week later King T’Challa had come to them asking for their help in apprehending a group of criminals that were allied with some inhumans. 

One inhuman had the ability to control the weather and decided that Scott was his favorite test subject.  
It started with some wind that could threw him off balance while in his reduced form. Then it became a tornado and, at that, most of the team decided to leave the other criminals be to go and help him.

Scott tried to turn back at normal size but the button didn’t work and he was stuck, helpless.  
He could hear muffled sounds other than the scream of the wind picking up, some yelling and some cursing but, other than that he couldn’t hear anything else.  
Looking around, while he turned in the tornado, he saw that he was frightenly up from the ground, he felt justified to panic. His limbs were flailing frantically in hopes to find something that could help him. His heavy panicked breathing was the only sound that he could hear. 

At some point, a shiny glint caught his eyes, the whistling of the wind was topped by the roaring of Iron Man’s suit engines.  
A mechanical glove enveloped him and he was finally able to let out the tension, exhausted he let his eyes fall shut with a sigh, slumping in the metallic palm.

Back to the ground, Iron Man put him down. He opened his eyes to see the others run towards them, all worried or angered. For what, Scott didn’t know.

“Tic-tac! Are you ok, man?” Sam’s tone was slightly off, he had never heard him sounding really worried…he tried to answer Falcon but all he was able give him was a little nod. 

“What’s wrong?” he heard Steve ask to someone that wasn’t him.  
“I don’t know, Capsicle. He seems fine…” Stark was hesitating, well that was new.  
“Then why didn’t he already turn human size?” That was definitely Clint's hiss.  
“Yeah, I think he had trouble in there with the suit and its probable that the problem is persisting now.”

After Stark sentence, there was silence.

“Shit. Are you saying that he is currently stuck like that?” Bucky said disbelievingly.

“I have some knowledge with the suit. Scott and I should be able to find a solution, fast. He knows everything that’s needed. Right little guy?” Tony said to a still shocked Ant-man.  
“Yeah….I think…” Scott tried to answer but then he remembered that nobody could hear him in that form and the comms were off, so he merely shrugged.

“Right, as soon as we can, we will reactivate the comms. Don’t worry Z.”  
“Maybe I can help too…If you need anything.” Wanda told Tony as a way of saying ’truce’.  
“I’ll probably need everyone’s help. He certainly will need all of us…” the inventor said looking at his tiny friend.

Discussion closed, Steve kneeled to scoop up Ant-man who, in the meantime, had stood up on wobbly legs. “Don’t worry Scott, we’ll solve the problem in no time. You’ll see.” and he directed at Scott an apologetic smile, Scott sent him a thumb up just so he didn’t worry the Captain.

——————————————————————————————— 

Once they were back at their quarters, Tony disappeared to change and he probably went directly at the labs.  
In the common area the others started to think about the situation of the shrunk man who merely sat on a pile of journals on the table in front of the tv, sometime listening and sometime nodding off.  
When he noticed T’Challa looking at him, Scott deduced that his attention was needed.

“I am sorry for this turn of events. I thank you for your help, I was told that the criminals were captured while the inhuman were not found. We hope the apprehended ones will tell us where the enhanced men are, thank you again.  
Scott, my friend, I can assure you that my staff and Stark will do everything in order to help you. Anything you need, you only have to ask. Good night.”  
Scott saluted with a wave of his gloved hand while the others grunted goodnights.  
When the still ant-sized Scott turned his head towards the rest of the group he was thrown off guard by all of them watching him.

“Cap, what do we do?”

“I really have no idea, Clint. I just know that now it’s too late to work on this situation and we need some sleep.” Captain America’s eyes were still fixed on Scott, thinking of a way to assist his teammate.

“Yes, we all know that you feel your ninety-some years.” Sam joked earning a glare from Steve.

“Sleep sounds good to me but…what about Scott? I think it would be better if he were to be with someone.”

“Yeah, Wanda is right. Why don’t we ask him? Give me the pad, Sam.” taking the tablet from Sam, Clint walked toward Scott and put the thing down on the table.  
Scott rolled his eyes (no one could see that) and went to the large tablet and typed.

I HAVE THEM.

At Clint confused expression followed a flinch when the table filled with ants of any kind.  
“No Scott, I want you to be with one of us. We need to know where you are. I think that Tony should stay with you, if something happens he will know what to do to help you.”

“Steve, Stark is already in his lab. I don’t think he will be any safer than him being with his ants.” Bucky deadpanned, speaking for the first time since they entered the quarters.  
A thoughtful silence followed.

“You are right. Tony won’t stop ‘till he’s found out how to end this.”  
They all sighed at Steve’s statement.  
Suddenly there was the swish of the elevator door, soon followed by the sound of someone’s muttering. Tony startled at the unexpected sight.

“Where’s Scott?”  
Clint pointed at said man even if it seemed to indicate the tablet.

“You made him comunicate with you by pad?” the inventor said disbelievingly.  
At the narrowed expressions he almost yelled. 

“Guys, we have comms for a reason! We finished our job but we can use them for this! You must be really tired.” shaking his head, he pulled out his comm from the pocket of his jeans and started talking with Scott.

“Scott, how are you feeling?”

“I…Tony, I keep pushing the button but it doesn’t work! What do I do? I am tired, angry, scared, thirsty, panicky…They were discussing me needing someone else. I am not an invalid, I want to go to my room a panic in peace, thank you very much!” his voice had risen with each sentence and at the end his shoulders slumped, he seemed exhausted, defeated.

“Hey, I know that it could seem like that but, their idea is good. You shouldn’t be left alone right know. You are so small that we could inadvertently crush you. An' I know that you are stronger while ant-size but I am worried about that, and you don’t need to panic. You have Tony Fucking Stark here, helping you!” Stark smiled at him trying to put him at ease.

“Come now, you can sleep down in the lab while I work, ok? That way, if I have a question, I just have to wake you and you will be able to help in the mean time, right?” at that, the rest of the group that was still in the background nodded in approval and soon after, Scott followed their action.

“Alright, It’s a good plan Tony. I warn you, I snore.”  
Tony snorted “Well, certainly I won’t hear it tonight.” and winked taking Scott on the palm of his hand.

Heading for the elevator, they waved goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I will post soon the fourth one (soon as in 'before Christmas'). Thank you for sparing some time to read my work! And thank you to all the readers that left kudos! Bye, MyCn18.


	4. Pym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Tony call the only man that could give them some help. They don't receive very useful informations but they end up with an unexpected revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language. (due to a grumpy old man that hates Stark family.)

Once they entered the lab, Tony put ant-sized Scott down gently on the worktable.

“Tony, I think we should call Hank. He built the suit, he probably had the same problem and maybe he will be able to tell me more about dangerous stuff that this situation could cause.”

“Why? What kind of ‘dangerous stuff’ could happen on your opinion?”

“Well…for starter, this suit isn’t designed to be lived in. I really don’t like passing all the time with the helmet. Then, what happens if I let non-filtered oxygen to pass through the suit, I die? I need to eat someway! at least I know that I can drink, I have a filter on the helmet.” 

“All right Scott...” Tony went to retrieve his phone and then put it on the table. 

The line beeped three times before they were able to hear the call being picked up but no one spoke, Tony rolled his eyes -‘paranoid bastard’.

“Pym? It’s Tony Stark, I-“  
“What do you want, and don’t bother even to try and ask me where Scott is.” the snappish and grumpy interruption wasn’t unexpected.  
Scott almost cried knowing that Hank was protecting him. Almost.

“Oh, right. No, I am currently on Wakanda with everyone. Scott and I have lived and worked together for almost a month and-“

“Wait, What?! That’s bullshit! Listen Stark, try to be quick to ask what you need because I am going to give you thirty seconds and I have already lost most of my patience. Start, now.”

“There’s been a fight with some local criminals that were in company with some enhanced men. Scott had problems with the suit while battling one of them and he is currently stuck Ant-sized.”

After a beat of silence there was a rather tired sigh.  
“Where is he now?” 

“He’s here with me, let me connect his comm to the call…Scott you can speak now.”

“Hey there Hank!” Tony could easily hear how Hank’s voice had relaxed Scott.

“What the fuck happened?! Are you trusting Stark to work on MY suit?! Are you nuts?!” Scott flinched at Hank’s adverse animosity but he was glad to hear him.

“Well, I was in this tornado and- you know the enhanced guys, this one could control weather!-“  
“Scott…” Tony tried to stop Lang from losing track of the matter at hand but it went unheard.  
“-How crazy is that?! And there was someone that could-“ the man had started babbling when he was cut off by the increasingly angry Hank Pym.

“For fuck’s sake Scott! Can you concentrate on one thing and tell me what is wrong with the suit?!”

“Right…I tried to turn back to human-size but the button didn’t work. It happened one time already but it was just a matter of seconds and when I tried again it worked, at the time. This time it didn’t, and now I am stuck. Tony is already looking at some readouts he had about prototypes but we need the original and complete project of the suit I am wearing.”

“…” Tony was holding his breath while Scott squirmed a little, fearful of the angry rant that could begin from the older man.

“I can’t come to Wakanda. I can’t send you anything virtually, online. I could ask Hope but the government is watching us very closely. We can’t risk it.” Hank sounded tired and almost annoyed.

“Can you tell me at least of something to look for that could be that cause of this? Something that specifically involves the shrinking mechanism and the connection to the buttons?” Tony asked hopeful.

“I…It could be a wire that made contact with something else. Scott you should have the emergency kit on the front pocket of the suit. With it you need to open the palettes on your right wrist, you have to be cautious. Since you are going to open things while you are still in it and in reduced sized, if something wrong is pulled you could die, Scott.”

“I could help him, King T’Challa’s equipment is perfect for this kind of thing. I can assure you that I will be concentrated on getting Scott out of it and not on the design of the suit, ok?” Tony told Pym seriously.

“You Better be, Mr. Stark! I will be at your disposal at any moment, if you need.”

“In the meantime, is there anything I need to know about the prolonged use of the suit? Like…oxygen problems, permanent damage of any kind…this stuff…” Scott asked in a squeaking tone.

“I can assure you that there is no problem about wearing the thing for five days, but we are talking about a malfunction of the suit so, not knowing what problem is causing it I am not sure about the dangers. If the oxygen enters the suit you are done, you have to use the filters the suits is provided of. About any permanent damage….it’s the same as the resistance, it’s all about the condition of the suit.  
And you know that the damage to your body is already considered in the repeated usage of the suit in time.”

“So…basically we are working blind. We need to find out the cause of the malfunction first, then we will be able to know what risk are we taking.” Tony summarized.

“Scott, listen to me. I know that you are worried-“  
“nah, I’m fine Hank.”  
“-no you’re not. I know you, if you were, you would have talked much more and asked about Cassie. She is fine by the way, you know that she doesn’t even seem your daughter? She is way too smart.” the fond smile could be detected through the line.   
Tony left him to talk in private and went to put down ideas and instruction to help Scott.

“I..you’re right Hank. I-I am scared. I don’t know what to do and I am tired. What if I screw up and I die like this?”  
“Scott, you need sleep and rest. You’ll need all the energy you can have. Can you pass me Stark?”

Scott went to Tony and he indicated the phone. At first Stark frowned but he picked it up.

“Pym?”

“Stark. I am trusting you with Scott’s life and I expect you to be hundred percent up to the job. If you need something don’t esitate to call me, remember that a little girl is home waiting for him…..and, Tony…Howard had the defect of being obsessed with science so much as putting discovery above life. You, on the other end, are concerned about humanity and therefore you use science to help and protect, at least it’s what you try to do. All of that to tell you, I don’t like the idea of a Stark tinkering with that suit but I trust you to help Scott. He’s full of shit, but he is a good man. I am at your disposal Mr.Stark and I expect you to update me on the situation, good luck.”

The line went dead leaving a flabbergasted Tony to stare at the phone.

“Man, he almost said that he likes you!” the inventor startled at the sound of Scott’s voice having completely forgotten the open comm connected to the call.

“And he said that he likes me! Awesome!”

“Go to sleep, Ant.”

“But-“

“No buts, you need rest-“

“-so do you, Tony!”

“-I am not the one stuck in a death trap!”

Scott snapped his mouth shut at that and he was glad that he was wearing the helmet, at least Tony couldn’t detect his hurt and fear.

“All right…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked it, feel free to leave Kudos and comments. If you didn't like the chapter, leave comments anyway and let me know what you think about it.


	5. Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little moment between two friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter. Being my first fiction I must admit that it is hard to match the characters to their colloquialism. I hope it's good. Enjoy!

The Winter Soldier had never worked with a team, he was an asset, a killer. He was always assigned to one-man missions, and he was ok with it.

Bucky Barnes was different, Steve’s presence had brought with it the necessity to be around others. Steve was a mother-hen, with Barnes as much as with the other teammates. 

After leaving Clint and Sam, the two soldiers went to their quarters. Bucky was able to see a new tension seep in Steve’s shoulders. They decided to stop at the huge living room.

“He’ll be fine.”  
“I hope so, Buck. But it’s not only Scott that I am worried about. Those men are still out there, and they are powerful.” after a tired sigh, Steve went on “I fear that we will see more from them, and it’s highly probable that we will not be ready. We are still worried about what is happening to us, we are distracted.”

Bucky snorted, earning a glare from the other super-soldier.  
“Come on, Punk. You know them better than me, we were a little out of it because we weren’t united. Wanda is scared of what she could unleash with her powers, you were constantly worried about me- don’t give me that look, I saw how you kept looking at me as if I was going to break at any given time- Stark was watching me closely as if I were to become a savage blood-thirsty animal or something. The only ones that seemed focused on the task were Clint and Sam.”

“So you admit that you weren’t focused?” Steve tried smirking but it came out more like a grimace.

“Well, I had to ensure YOU that I was OK and I had to be sure that Stark wouldn’t have tried to kill me in the middle of the conflict.” Bucky deadpanned and narrowed his eyes at Steve.

“I think that you are right about one point…we are not an united front. If we were, we would have been able to find different solutions and probably we could have avoided some complications.” hearing the sad but authoritative tone of Steve, Bucky understood what his dear friend was thinking.

“Steve, it wasn’t your fault. Scott’s suit would have malfunctioned anyway, it happened in a bad situation but it could have been worse. What if it happened when he was around Wakanda alone, wearing the suit? We wouldn’t have known.”

“I know, but it still happened under my watch!” silence settled between the two and determination was written all over the Captain's face. Steve sighed and looked down. He shook his head, his shoulders slumped.

“As soon as Scott is back to normal, we will have a meeting and decide the best course of action. We need to work on our trust and I know that it will be very difficult, but its something that we have to do, I will not tollerate things like these to happen again just because we were distracted.” Seeing the look of horror on Bucky’s face, Cap nodded and stalked to his room with a clipped “Good night, Buck”.

“Lovely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feel free to give Kudos to my story or comments.


	6. Solutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I am sorry for the delay but it was a month full of exams! There's another chapter.

“Try it now, Scott.”

Stark had worked non-stop on the holo project of the Ant-suit and he was able to find a possible solution without having Scott working on it while he was still in.  
At Stark’s signal, Scott pushed the button tentatively.

The gentle SWISH of the suit changing shape filled the room. Tony was able to let out a relieved sigh.

“Ok Scott, now wait to remove the helmet. I need to look at your readings and ensure that you are stable.” 

Scott nodded and waited for Tony to move around the display.

“Let me call in someone and a doctor, then you will be free” the inventor smiled reassuringly to Scott who, in the meantime, had to sit on a chair after seeing that he was slightly dizzy.

When the doors of the lab opened, Tony looked up and rolled his eyes dramatically.  
He had called for Sam who was a good friend to Lang and also because he was good with possible psychological traumas. What he found in front of him, instead, was the entire 'exiled company’: Steve was wearing his sad-puppy-eyes, Bucky was smiling brightly (which bothered Tony), Clint was impassive but a smirk could be detected around the edges, Wanda was still waking up (if her closed eyes and pjs were any indication) and then Sam entered accompanied by T’Challa and a doctor.

As soon as Sam saw Antman in normal size, he smiled and went towards Scott.

“Hey Tic-tac! You scared us for a moment there!” then he addressed Tony “Why does he have to wear his helmet?” a little worry had crept back in his face.

“Well, good morning everyone. As you can see, I was able to return him to human-size but it wasn’t through the suit technology so, we have to be sure that my procedure was supported correctly by the suit and the body in it.” then he gestured towards the doctor that was already checking Scott’s vitals “that is why I requested a doctor here and I wanted YOU-“ glaring at Sam “- to be here and help Scott out of it.”

“Well, I brought a little more help…in my defense, you shouldn’t have made it a wide range call. Once they heard, they preceded me.”

“Whatever, since you are already here Cap, why don’t you go and help Scott stand. Sam, assist the doctor while I check the mechanical functions of the suit.”

Clint, Bucky and Wanda settled near a corner of the room as to leave space to the other men.

“I am worried. He didn’t even look at us.” Wanda whispered to Clint gesturing toward Scott.  
“He is exhausted, I bet that after he is out of the suit he’ll be asleep for a day.”  
“Yeah, make it two.” Barnes acknowledged.

“Very well, You can take the helmet off, Scott.” Tony’s words brought a tense silence in the room. Steve was supporting Scott so T’Challa, who was waiting patiently, stepped up and went to remove the equipment from the brunette’s head.  
Sam was ready with an energy bar in one hand and water on the other.

When Scott face was revealed, Tony was able to smile and put an end to the silence.  
“Hello there! How do-“ he cut his sentence off seeing a big bruise on Scott’s head, Steve switched on panicky-mother-hen-mode and brought Lang to sit on the lab’s bench while the doctor began scanning him for head injuries.

“Wha- Oh, yeah, that! No, I’m fine guys. I just banged my head on something while I was up in the air. No biggie. How are you guys?! I must warn you. Being silent for so long probably means that I’ll talk non-stop for at least a day, maybe two! Anyway, Thank you Tony, I think you should call Hank and tell him that I am fine. I bet he is having panic attacks thinking of you working on his suit! Cap, sorry for the wobbly legs. Sam, why an energy bar!? Man, I just want to eat pizza! Yeah give me that. Thanks.” Sam passed him the water while the others gaped a little.

They were used to a very talkative Scott Lang but they thought that after what happened, the man would have been a little tired to speak for long. They were wrong.

“Scott, I think you should just sleep and eat. Don’t worry about Pym, I’ll talk to him.” with that, Tony went to grab Scott’s arm and tried to help him up. Soon Steve understood that Lang would have just kept babbling and helped Tony drag him towards the elevator.

T’Challa nodded towars Scott “ I am relieved to see you are well, my friend. I will tell you as soon as I can any news on the inhuman that escaped us, farewell.” and the King left the room.

While they were nearing the lift, Sam, Clint and Wanda decided to stay behind but Bucky insisted on going with the inventor and Steve.

“Cap, what happened?” the question threw everyone off guard and they stopped just before entering.

“Scott, you don’t remember what happened? Tony, I thought he was OK!” Steve whispered the last part worriedly to the inventor.  
Tony was gaping slightly and panic and confusion were creeping into his expression.

“Guys, I remember what happened to me. Don’t worry! It’s that I can see how jumpy and concerned you are. All of you.” Scott turned and looked at the others behind them.

“Then what do you mean?” Stark was getting increasingly more confused, he needed a drink. And sleep. Better, he needed to pass out drunk.

“I mean that I can see something happened. Even Barnes seems concerned! Is it about the inhumans we fought?” in the silence, Scott looked everyone gauging their expressions.

“Lang, we were worried about you.” at Bucky's quiet words, Scott mouth formed a silent ‘Oh’. 

“Tic-tac, let’s get you some pizza.” a smirking Sam said shaking his head.

“But-…are you really sure that nothing else happened? I was just Ant-size. Its not as if I was dying….I think….”  
Steve narrowed his eyes at him “Scott, you helped us a lot after what took place with the accords and else. You matter to us, to this team, as much as anyone that is part of it, maybe more.”  
Scott’s cheeks became flushed at Captain America’s praise and all that he was able to do was nod.

“Come on. Let’s eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! To who is still reading this, I thank you for your patience and please leave kudos or comments. As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Let me know what you think of it! I will post another chapter in two hours or so.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve orders a meeting.

In the afternoon, Tony insisted that Scott was subjected to other medical tests, just to be sure.

In the meantime the others gathered in the common living room under Steve request.

“Steve, what’s wrong?” Sam was the first to address that Captain.

“I think we need to talk. What happened yesterday was our fault. We were all distracted, we weren’t able to cooperate. We didn’t act as a Team.” no one bothered to contradict Steve so, he went on.

“I need to know, if any of you want to stay away from fightings this is the moment to let me know. If you want out, just say it.” again, nobody said anything.

“Very well. The second step is this: if you have grudges with someone, you will have to try and work on that. Or, at least, find a sort of ‘truce’ when we are in the middle of a conflict.” to that Bucky responded.

“Then, why are you telling us this when the one that we have problems with is not here?”  
The archer and Wanda nodded at the Winter Soldier’s words.

Steve sighed “Buck, I spoke with him about this. He is willing to work with you, and now he is keeping watch on Scott’s medical tests. When they are both free, we will talk with them too. Ok?”

Bucky snorted but stayed silent.  
“Then what’s step three?” Clint deadpanned.  
“Step three is training.” everyone grunted and Clint dramatically rested his head on the table.

“And how do you suppose we train when half of us would gladly kill Stark?” Bucky tried again.  
“I want Nat.” was all Clint wined.  
“If I were you, I would ask T'Challa.” Sam’s negativity interjected.  
“But what happens if I am unable to control my powers, Vision is not here to ensure your safety.” Wanda looked a little lost and worried.  
Steve raised his hands in a ‘calm down’ gesture effectively silencing the group.

“Ok, there are some points we need to see before we begin. But you should have a little more faith in me. I know how difficult it will be, but I think that I am not the only one feeling a little lost without a purpose. There are people that needs our help. T’Challa asked our help last time because, even if he is the Black Panther, he can’t do everything on his own.”

“But Steve, we destroy more than what we save. We are dangerous.” Wanda whispered with trembling lips.

“Would you prefer it were those inhumans to destroy everything than us trying to stop them? Would you prefer leaving unarmed people to defend themselves from superpowered men? I don’t know what to tell you. I am certain of one thing. If there are people in need, I’ll try everything to help them.” Steve snapped.

He had thought about what Erskine had told him the night before the day he was born again. That man had given him the chance to be better, to help and protect. That man never tried to change who he was, he helped him act on what he wanted to be: a soldier, protector of innocents and ensurer of peace. He had a great debt to that man, he would repay him by doing what his creation was meant to do.

“I am with you Cap, you know it. But there are a lot of difficult things to overcome.”  
“I know Sam, thank you.” Cap nodded and looked at the others.

“What the hell Steve. I am with you but you have to figure out a way to bring Nat here, or I swear that I’ll be impossible to work with. It’s all on your favor.”  
“I can’t promise you anything, Clint. If I hear from her I’ll try to bring Widow with us.”   
Clint nodded approvingly. 

Wanda was fidgeting and picking at the hem of her jacket, unsure.  
“Wanda, If you don’t want to do this, there is no problem. We understand if you are scared or tired of fighting.” Steve prompted.   
“I…I don’t know. I need to think about it.” Steve was ok with her necessity, it was probably for the best if she was left to think about her possibilities.

Steve shifted his gaze to Bucky who was looking at him calculatingly.  
“What does Stark says on working with us, with me?”  
“He said that you two were able to form a truce once, he thinks that its possible to extend that truce to team scenarios. About that, what truce was he talking about?”  
Bucky snorted but nodded “Its all about one Scott Lang. He brought an oblivious Stark to the lab where I was waiting for the Ant. When Scott explained that he wanted Stark to work on my new prosthetic arm, I saw red but…you know how Scott can be….” Bucky started stuttering and Steve became even more curious.  
“….And?”  
“He used puppy dogs eyes on both Stark and me…..a little teardrop then and quivering lip there and we were done….both of us.”

The silence lasted for mere seconds before everyone but Bucky burst out laughing.  
Bucky's grumpy face was able to become even grumpier and Sam tried to reassure him.  
“Don’t worry man, I know what you’re talking about. When he asked me if it was ok to let Stark help him on the suit, I was planning to say ‘you mad, tic-tac?!’ but when I turned he had this unsettlingly cute and sad face that I really thought I was the insane one. I couldn’t say ‘No’ so…here I am, with a beautiful suit that can throw knives from its wings. Exactly what I wanted.”

Steve had regained some control and now was just shaking his head smirking.  
“Well, that’s Scott Lang to you.”

“What? What are you talking about? Is it something about me? Too many questions, sorry. What’s going on here? oh, new question,sorry.” Scott had entered the living room smiling, soon followed by a more annoyed-looking Tony who went directly to the cabinet where his Scotch was stashed.

“Scott! How are you doing?” Clint asked, casually ignoring all the previous questions.  
“I’m fine! Really fine, I think they threw me out of the medical room because of my hyper-talk-mode. But it’s fine, maybe I should avoid coffee for a while.”

“Absolutely. Try to touch coffee and I will be there to cut your hands off.” Tony said from the couch, bottle in one hand, glass of scotch in the other.

“It’s good to have you back at your usual self. Just, don’t give us headaches.” Bucky muttered then spoke loud enough to be heard from Tony, being the one further from the group.  
“Since you were able to join us at a good point of our meeting, let’s repeat the important stuff we said. Right Stevie?” he smirked and began counting with his hand while the Captain summed up everything.

“Ok. If you want to stay away from fightings this is the moment to say that.-“ Bucky raised a second finger “-If you have grudges with someone, you will have to try and work on that. Or find a ‘truce’ when you are in the middle of a conflict.-” then the third finger (which may or may not have been raised forcefully towards Stark, who was unaware with his back to them) “-we need to do some training. In order to trust each other during a fight. Well, that’s pretty much what we were able to discuss ’till now.”

“Cool! Perfect points. what made you decide all of this out of the blue?” Scott watched curiously Steve noticing Clint face-palming, Wanda looking up to the heavens and Sam shaking his head. Bucky had an unimpressed look.

“Scott, yesterday you risked your life because of our distraction. We weren’t a Team and we weren’t able to help you. This all because of our minds wandering from the conflict in front of us. We endangered you and the rest of the people because of our own problems.”

“But you helped me. I heard all of you. You were discussing how to get me out of the tornado. Iron Man was able to get me out of it. When we were on the ground you all looked for ways to help me. Guys, you were a team then.” Scott turned abruptly serious and Steve looked at him with shocked blue eyes.

Bucky was the first to regain his voice and said what they all thought.  
“It took you being in serious danger for us to act like a Team. It shouldn’t depend on it. You shouldn’t have been on that position in the first place, Lang.”

“Yeah, I know. But I am here, so now it’s time to work on that. We will be awesome!” and, just like that, Scott ruined the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your time! Kudos and comments are appreciated. Bye, MyCn18.


	8. Third Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, a new chapter!

The next morning, they were all reunited in the gym.  
Steve had told them to leave their equipments on their closets.

Tony was punctually late, Sam entered wearing his pair of shorts and tee that usually used to go running, Steve was already punching one of the sacks, Bucky was seated on a bench looking around the place skeptically, Clint was reassuring Wanda about safety measures in case she wasn’t able to control her powers.

The chatter stopped abruptly when Scott entered. He made his entrance fighting a little with the handle of the doors to proceed stumbling into the room with reddened cheeks and a shy smile.

“Oh, um…Hi. Did I interrupt something? Because, if I did I can pass by later…”

Steve decided to save Scott before he started rambling.

“No,Scott. We were waiting for you. You managed to arrive after Tony, that must be a record.” Cap said smirking.

“How are you?”  
“I’m fine, Sam. Just…a little tired. I am sorry, Cap. I didn't hear the alarm clock and kept sleeping.”

Clint snorted but Bucky and Tony were already in front of Scott wearing the same worried expressions.  
“Did you sleep well?” Stark inquired at the same time of Bucky’s “What’s wrong?”

“Guys, guys! I am fine. I just need a little more time to go back at full strength. You told me that!” Scott said pointing an accusing finger at Tony.

“I know, but-“ the inventor was cut off by Wanda, effectively silencing everyone.

“You are afraid.” she brought one hand to her mouth as if she said that unintentionally. The silence was heavy with confusion, worry and tenseness.  
Bucky surprised everyone being the one to address Scott first.

“Lang, What are you afraid of? Is it about us? The suit? a fight?….What is it?”

“I-I…It’s stupid. It doesn’t matter. I thought that we would train today so…If you train, I’m in. If not…well..” Scott said looking Steve in the eye, not even glancing at Bucky or anyone else.

“We are going to do training together. But we need to know if there is something wrong. Not only with you, Scott.” Cap told him and then he turned to face the others.

“If any of you have something to say that might have repercussion on this, say it. We will work on whatever it is.”

Tony cleared his throat “Well, I must admit that I am a little fearful of what your hatred towards me could cause during these ‘training sessions’.” he said looking pointedly to Bucky who merely smirked, satisfied.

“Yes, it will be hard but most of us had worked together before all of this. I only hope that we can still fight next to each other.”

“Cap is right, and I think that we, who fought together before, are the ones that will have more issues to trust each other again.” Clint interjected.

“I don’t want to use my powers more than necessary. I am afraid that, once I start, I cannot stop myself from hurting someone.” at Wanda’s admission, Steve nodded and smiled at her.

“That means that you care. It also means that, if your control slips, you will do everything you can to not harm others. You need to trust yourself, Wanda.” the witch smiled sadly at his words.

“I’m cool. If Stark keeps working on my suit with Scott, and Bucky doesn’t get jealous over my friendship with you Steve, I am perfectly fine.” Sam spoke up in the relaxed and smug tone he always used even if he was getting an angry look from the Winter Soldier.

“I will need some time to adjust at the idea of teamwork. Last time, I couldn’t concentrate. I kept feeling your constant gazes on me. I know that it won’t be easy to trust me but, I can assure you that I’m not a ticking bomb anymore.” at the end of Bucky's sentence, they all turned to look at Scott who had silently shifted towards the exit and now stood still, wearing a ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look.

“Yeah…we know, you are not a ticking bomb. And Wanda, don’t worry I saw what you can really do, I believe that you have the strength to control your powers. Sam I have some cool ideas for your suit!” he started rambling, hoping to avoid his ‘confession' turn.

They all stared at him, unimpressed by his evasive answer. Not seeing a way out of it, Scott sighed and told them what was bothering him.

“Ok, fine. I am afraid… thatwithoutthesuitIamnotenoughfortheteamandIwontbeabletohepyouandyouwilljustbenchme.”   
“Sorry, what was it? Repeat it at human speed.” Clint deadpanned.  
Scott huffed but obliged “I am afraid that without the suit, I am not enough for the team and I won’t be able to help you. And…I feel as if I would be only a hindrance. I am not as strong as you are, without my suit I am nothing more that the messy and clumsy Scott Lang…I know, it’s stupid…”

“There is a reason if I told all of you to come here without your equipments. You, Tony and Sam need to detach from the security that your suits can give you. When we were in America, Clint and I taught Tony some selfdefense moves so, Scott we will teach you the same. You don’t have to worry.”

Scott was speechless, he wasn’t expecting this much help in something that he thought was considered fundamental to be ‘heroes'.  
Seeing Scott’s stunned look, Steve decided to add another thing.

“By the way, T’Challa will train with us on Thursdays, he said that he wants to teach us some of his fighting skills.” that threw off guard the others too, who opted for Scott’s shocked look.

"Why not one of the Dora Milaje? They can kick asses." Clint asked. 

“Very well. Now I think that we can begin our physical training.” the Captain smiled triumphantly and went to retrieve some jump ropes ignoring the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit that I am not really happy with this chapter...well, I hope that you enjoyed it anyway! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	9. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a day of training, our heroes receive some news.

“Scott! You liar! Your punches are killers!” Clint whined at the brunette.

“All thanks to Hope. That is the only thing I have without the Ant-suit.”

“You are still slow at dodging. You need better equilibrium.” Bucky interjected, not bothering to address Clint’s childish behavior.

Steve and Tony were sparring and Bucky was trying to not let it bother him. Besides, Sam and Wanda were there in case something went wrong.  
———————————————————————————————————   
“I think that’s enough for today, right Cap?” Sam asked at the end of their third hour of training. He was looking at Scott and Steve followed his line of sight and saw why Sam wanted to end the drill.   
Scott seemed a little paler than usual and he was holding up with some strain. Noticing the worried expressions the others were showing, he decided to call it a day.

“Ok, let’s stop it here for today. How are you holding up Scott?”  
“Mmh?Ah..I’m fine, nothing that a good sleep can’t fix.” the moment he said it, he wobbled a little and Bucky was ready to keep him upright and took him to one of the benches. Tony was instantly in front of him, taking his pulse and looking at the man’s pupils. Clint offered a bottle of water.

“His pulse his a little fast for my liking. Scott, do you feel only tired or do you have other symptoms? Headaches, loss of appetite, general discomfort?” 

“No, Tony. It’s just some dizziness… I-I feel as when I removed the helmet, remember? I was dizzy and a little lightheaded. That’s all.”

Wanda, who had left to look for someone who could help, entered the gym followed by T’Challa and a different doctor from the one of the day before.

“Mr. Lang, I believe that it would be better if we move you to medbay so that my staff can make sure that you are well.”

“T’Challa, thank you. But it was just a little dizziness. We were training so, I probably should have sit this one out.”

“Scott, I insist that you get checked over for any possible anomaly.” the King’s voice had become softer at that and his worry transpired from the previously determinate gaze.

“I..Ok, let’s see if medbay has changed in one day…”  
————————————————————————————   
That evening, at dinner, they were eating together.   
The results from Scott’s exams had returned negative. Tony was quiet and the others could see that he was thinking of a plausible answer to Scott's tiredness. 

The man in question kept babbling and told them stories of his adventures with some guys called ’the wombats’ trying to cheer the others up.   
It was obvious that Scott wasn’t one who liked to be in the center of the attention so, he tried to use that attention to distract the others from the real problem. 

They were almost at the end of the evening when King T’Challa joined them. 

“I have wonderful news for you, my friends. There is also a bit more tedious one but, anyway. I was able to speak with Natasha Romanova and your government.” Clint’s ears perked up and on alert at Nat’s name.

“Colonel Rohdes will be accepted as Wakanda’s guest-patient in our Hospital and Miss. Romanova will accompany him as his security detail. The one you call ‘Vision’ won’t be able to be with them.”

Clint now was gaping, and Steve saw that he wasn’t the only one. Tony was staring at T’Challa with his mouth agape while Wanda seemed unsure wether she wanted to smile or be worried. Bucky asked what the others missed.

“Then what is the bad news?” Steve glared at him for his bluntness. Bucky merely shrugged.

“Your government had one condition. They were to come here accompanied by one of the Joint Counter Terrorist Center’s member. The man they want to send is someone we all know.” T’Challa paused, trying to gauge their reactions.

“The man in question is Everett Ross.” 

This time, all of them gaped at the same time. Ross was an important piece of the Sokovia Accords. He was the man who was supposed to control and supervise superheroes.  
Sending him as additional assistance to James meant that they needed someone to have their eyes on them, and who better than the supposedly boss himself?

“Well, I think we should wait and see. They can’t bring us back forcefully in America. Not if we are political refugees and the King is ok with that, right?” Clint tried to be positive (which sounded weird from him).

They all nodded. At last, T’Challa told them that they would arrive in Wakanda during the next morning.

“Wow, that was fast. I bet that Nat threatened them.” Tony quipped.

“I am happy, Stark. Don’t ruin that.” Clint glared at him.

Tony threw his hands in the air exasperatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! From now on I am not completely sure where this story is going so, I know it could become a little chaotic. Please leave kudos if you liked this little chapter or leave a comment. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I didn't have the time to review the chapters so, I am posting these two new chapters without correcting them. Please, keep in mind that english is not my first language. Thank you, and let me know what you think about it.

“Where is Tony?” Steve was exasperated. The new ‘guests’ were supposed to arrive at 11 am and all of the exiled were asked to greet them with T’Challa. At 10.55, Tony, being Tony, was nowhere to be seen. Bucky, Sam and Clint were amused by Steve's desperation and kept swallowing back laughers.

Tony joined them when the helicopter landed. The first face they saw was Natasha's. The redhead went to open the hatchback where Rhodes was waiting.   
Once Rhodes was on the ground, Ross exited the copter.

“Bloody helicopters! I used to love them but, America-Wakanda isn’t a enjoyable ride.” Ross told bluntly T’Challa, offering his hand in greetings.

Bucky assessed the man. Since the last time he saw him, the blond short man seemed the same but a slight slump of his shoulders told him that the grumpy agent had been under some stress during their absence. His icy eyes were a contrast to the bags that were forming under them.

“Agent Ross. Welcome to Wakanda. You will be shown to your quarters. I hope you will accept my invitation to dine with me and the rest of my guests this evening.” T’Challa’s voice boomed in the hall, magnifying his powerful voice. Warm but intimidating at the same time. The man didn’t seem to be impressed and nodded.

Looking behind the King, Ross spotted the remnants of the Avengers and the rest of the gang.  
“Well, well. I can’t wait to hear the story of how you managed to evade the Raft.” he said smirking.

“There will be time for that, Mr.Ross. Now, please follow me. We need to discuss diplomatic matters.” T’Challa interrupted and gestured for Ross to follow him.

Once the Agent and the King were out of the room, Tony and Clint went to greet Natasha and Rhodey.

“Nat! Oh, I missed you so much!”  
“I bet you did, Clint. I was able to call Laura and she says that Pietro misses you and the other two are happy for what you did. So, you don’t have to worry about them.” She smiled warmly at him.

“Tony! How are you still in one piece?!” Rhodes said looking towards Barnes and Rogers.  
“Nah, don’t worry. We found a common ground.” at that Rhodey sent him a skeptic glance and Scott decided to add his part of the story.  
“In fact they are working together on Bucky’s new prosthetic arm. And they seem to be perfect twins when its about worrying.” he threw in, just to let them know what he thought of their concerns about him.

Rohdes stared at Ant-man, taking the man in. “Good, I bet that Barnes will have better equipment in one arm then me in my new suit.” the Colonel said teasingly.

Bucky snorted and opted to present himself to Rhodes.  
“I think you know me already, but I hope that, since we are going to live in the same place, we will have a chance to know each other on peaceful terms. I am James Buchanan Barnes, to avoid misunderstandings I would prefer if you call me Bucky.” he then extended his flesh arm at the Colonel who took it firmly and smiled a little.  
“I agree. Colonel James Rohdes.” he said shaking hands. 

“Since I know all of them, you must be Scott Lang. The not-so-little-Ant-man.” Rohdes said pointing at Scott. 

“Hi…Happy to meet you. Well, you ‘you’…not-not suited you. I mean-“  
“What he’s trying to tell you is that he's pleased to meet Colonel Rhodes” Tony interrupted Scott, who was becoming redder by the second, from his ramblings.

“Well, I need to put down my things Tony.” Rhodes said.  
“Oh, yeah. Follow me. T’Challa gently gave you the room next to mine.” Tony said beginning to walk down the corridor.  
James saluted everyone with a little nod that the others returned, then he turned to follow Stark.

“Let me show you your room, Nat.” Clint told Natasha. The redheaded spy was watching Barnes as if the man should have done something during this exchange, but left her disappointed.

“Maybe we can talk privately, later.” Steve told Natasha sending her a pointed look that the spy seemed to understand. She nodded and left the rest of the group.


	11. Chapter 11

T’Challa had offered to walk with Ross, going towards the quarters reserved to the agent.

“Agent Ross, I wish to discuss politics and security as soon as we can. I do not appreciate your imposed presence and I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of those political refugees.” The King stated solemnly, letting the man hear the pleasant diplomatic tone but giving importance to every word he said. 

When he turned to look at his interlocutor, he found Ross smacking his face in his chest.  
The man hastily retreated, clearing his throat from his embarrassment than he nodded to let the King know that he had heard.  
T’Challa himself was surprised at his amusement at such a scene. The short and clipped man seemed very curious and probably had been too distracted to notice the King stopping.

The King of Wakanda lifted and eyebrow in hope to hide his amusement and appear unimpressed.

Ross cleared his throat again. “I am here to ensure that Colonel Rhodes and Miss. Romanoff, being American citizens, are going to be in safe hands. And I must admit that my curiosity had good part in me being here. I only heard about what your science division can do, I hope to have a chance to see these miracle-workers in action.” Everett Ross said with a lopsided smile that was difficult to decipher, it seemed more like a grimace.

Ross’ answer had caught off-guard T’Challa, the open display of curiosity and interest was not what the Black Panther had expected. He decided to remain skeptical about the truthfulness of the agent’s words, he was part of his Government’s Intelligence for a reason.

“Since Colonel Rhodes will have to sustain physical tests tomorrow, I believe you are going to see what interests you very soon. Now, I have to take my leave. Have a good stay, Mr. Ross.” T’Challa didn’t wait for his answer and went out of Everett’s quarters. Silence followed the sound of doors closing.

“God, Everett! Way to go. Fifteen minutes and you managed to make a fool of yourself! With a King! Damn Me!” Ross muttered to himself while he opened his suitcase.  
—————————————————————————————————   
“So, what do you think?” Steve asked T’Challa when he reentered the common area.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put away the possibility of a bigger reason for his presence. As of now we have to limitate ourselves to treat him for what he came for: ensure the safety of the Colonel and Miss. Romanoff. We’ll see what happens after that.” 

“There is no need to hypothesize, I am sure there is another reason for why he’s here.” Bucky said seriously.  
“I think that too, but only because I am a standard paranoiac. Why are you so sure?” Scott asked the soldier. 

“He seemed tired, stressed and overworked. I think that, whatever is taking all his time, is the reason why he’s here. I believe that our escape gave them hard times with the Sokovian Accords. Without us to be an example, they have nothing that can give them power on the rest of the unregistered Vigilantes.” Bucky then looked directly at Steve and went on.  
“He is here to find a way to let us pay without having to be on American soil. He is here for information.” Bucky directed the last phrase to T’Challa.

Silence settled in the room, they all looked down. They needed to know what kind of information Ross would want about them. Their dossiers were complete so, it had to bee something so private that it wouldn’t be found on paper or digital info.

“Well, for now we have to focus on our training and help Tony with Rhodey.” Steve ended the conversation and T’Challa left them to their own devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and, as always, leave kudos if you liked it or leave comments. I always accept constructive critics. Probably Saturday I will be able to publish something else.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for the kudos and comments! Here's another chapter. We are finally at the beginning of the major plot. Enjoy!

It was 7.00 pm, T’Challa’s servants were finishing dinner's preparations.

Nat and Clint were already dressed for the occasion and where passing their time playing chess in the hall.

Tony was in one of the labs, still tinkering with the Ant-man’s suit, looking for the damaged wire that caused the malfunction. Rhodes was keeping company to the inventor, mostly because he wanted to be sure that his friend would remember the appointment.

Scott was talking to Wanda and Sam about Cassie and how she loved the Scarlet Witch.

Bucky was walking down the corridor that went to Steve’s room when he suddenly stopped.  
Everett Ross was in the same hallway.

The man seemed lost, his face was screwed up in frustration and he was muttering to himself when he spotted the Winter Soldier.  
Bucky was waiting for the agent to avoid him but he was surprised to see that the man advanced towards him, his posture seemed to indicate a non-hostile approach so, Bucky waited the short man.

“Uhm, I believe that I am lost.” he said without looking the soldier in the eye, he clicked his tongue and swallowed as if he was trying not to be sick at what he was going to say.  
“Would you mind telling me in which direction I can find the dining room?” he said raising his eyes at Barnes.

Bucky stared at him, enjoying the signs of discomfort the other man displayed.   
When Ross understood that there would have been no answer, he turned to leave but stopped when Barnes spoke.

“It’s the floor under this.” Everett gave him a quick nod in thanks and began walking towards what he thought would have been the right flight of stairs but the Winter Soldier stopped him again.

“The other way.” Ross turned back and passed him.  
Bucky was amused to hear the man grumbling quietly when the door of Steve room opened, to reveal his friend looking at him inquisitively.

He must have seen Ross passing by, because his eyes widened and he looked frantically at Bucky as if he had to ensure that his friend was ok.   
When everything seemed to be in order, Steve looked at the end of the hallway where the Agent had almost reached the stairs.

“Agent Ross!” Bucky looked at Steve as if he were crazy but the other merely shrugged.

“What?!” Ross snapped. Bucky had an hard time not laughing, the JCTC’s Agent had thought that they had called him for another wrong turn for the dining room. 

When Ross saw that Captain America was the one who had called him, and that said man was reaching him with the Winter Soldier, he waited for them.

“I apologize. It’s just that I crossed the entire building three times already and I still have to find that damned room.” he replied more amicably.

Steve laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I admit that I still get lost sometimes. It’s a very big place.”

Ross smiled a little more genuinely at that and Bucky narrowed his gaze at Steve, hoping that his friend would feel his burning gaze, full of disappointment. Steve shouldn’t chat with the enemy. 

“In fact, I probably need another shower now. I did more movement here, than when I was in the army. So many steps!” the agent seemed to become more comfortable in Steve’s presence, Barnes noticed that and turned the narrowed gaze to Ross.

They were in front of Clint and Natasha now. Natasha had won, as usual, while Clint pouted like a child saying that Nat had cheated. Tony entered with Scott, Sam, Wanda and Rhodey trailing behind.

“Little Ross, already activated one of your bugs?” Tony greeted them receiving a disapproving look from Steve and earning a subtle but strong nudge in the ribs from Nat. He was happy to see that Barnes was watching Ross as if waiting for his answer, seriously.

“Mr. Stark. How retro, bugs are not used anymore.” Ross said wearing his indecipherable diplomatic smile.

Bucky snorted, everyone looked at him in surprise while the Agent's smile became more genuine. 

Before and uncomfortable silence could settle, T’Challa greeted them and opened the doors to his private dining room.

———

-somewhere in the wakandan jungle-

“They took Shai. I made sure the others would not be able to talk.” a first shadow said.

A feminine voice entered the conversation. “Those men were supposed to be The Avengers? It was really easy to escape.”

“I heard that they where like this even when they defended New York from the aliens.”

“They may have been divided this time, but they will not be unprepared the next time. People needs to lose faith in the Black Panther, in their King. The American Government sent one of their most valuable men here, to treat with T'Challa about the refugees. We have to find more about this man, we could involve him in our uprising. We could use him.” A booming voice interrupted the others.

“You want to let the Americans deal with T’Challa and then reclaim the throne?” the female asked.

“NO! I will be the one to kill T’Challa! The American will only have to isolate him, weaken him and his power.” he ended smiling mischievously.

“How do you suppose we can get to him? We cannot enter the palace, we cannot call him, we ca-“

“Oshaka, we don’t mean to form a friendly pact. We just need to talk with him, letting him know how it would end for him if he were to fail in our requests.”

“The problem remains. How do we take him? He will be in the palace for the entirety of his stay.” Oshaka said.

“I have an idea. I have a way of infiltrating the palace. I heard that the American is going to have a meeting with a wakandan ambassador, they will meet in the open. It will be easy to enter the gardens and take him.” the shadow said.

“You hear a lot of things R’ Tesh. If you are sure that it has 0% of failure then, we will do that. When is this chance?”

“Three days from now. At 3 pm, they will meet at the entrance of the gardens.”

“Very well. We will see how our powers can give us more advantage. Now go, we need information.”

In the shadows of the jungle, one of the royal soldiers was hearing everything and he began to run quietly towards the Imperial Palace. He took out his receiver and sent the message directly to the Chief of Security.

———

They were eating a strange and very colorful Wakandan dessert when one of the guards entered the room and went discreetly to T’Challa. 

The King looked at Ross and then nodded to the guard, allowing the messanger to exit the room.

Ross had seen the look and his demeanor changed insantly. He was tense and alert.

The guards had locked the doors of the room. Soon they were all aware that something was off.

"I just recieved an urgent message. The inhumans that we encountered three days ago, are planning to take the throne. They found out about your presence here, Mr. Ross. They intend to kidnap you and use you to divide my nation and turn people against me."

Ross swallowed difficultly, then he tried to concentrate on other particulars. "Who are those Inhumans?"

"They were simple robbers but now they escalated to heavier crimes and the powers they have are dangerous. I can only assume that they will try to infiltrate the palace or maybe they are already here. That is why this conversation is secret."

"What do you plan to do now, King T'Challa?" Steve interjected.

"They do not know about my knowledge of their plan. I have yet to decide. This is a delicate situation."

"Do you know when they intend to act?" Ross asked.

"At the beginning of your meeting with the ambassador of Wakanda. At the entrance of the gardens."

"That's why you suspect that they are already in the Palace. Their knowledge on secretive matters brings the conclusion with it." Natasha acknowledged aloud.

T'Challa nodded and then brought his gaze back on Ross.  
"For your safety, I suggest you stay inside the building. The meeting can happen in our tribunal, it is one of the safest places in the palace."

"But- wouldn't it be more useful going to the gardens anyway and let them take me? We could use the knowledge of their plan at our advantage by letting them think that we don't know anything. They could lead us to the rest of the organization. This is not something for just three people."

They were all silent. They didn't like Ross but it wasn't right to let the man risk his life like that.

"If those men are as dangerous as you say, I am in." He tried to get their approval.

T'Challa was watching him with a steady stare, trying to gauge if the words were true or not. 

"Little Ross has a death wish, it seems." Tony obviously had to say something.

"If we are able to fix my suit in time, I could go with him in Ant-sized form." Scott offered.

Everyone, apart from Ross, turned their heads towards him looking murderous.

"It- It was just an idea..." Scott muttered deflating. 

"We can't even give you an earpiece, one of them can track technological stuff" Clint stated.

"And what if they understand that something is off? You could get killed." Wanda told Ross.

"You should let him do it." Bucky said seriously.

"Buck, he is always a-" Steve interjected.

"It's not about who he is. I am saying that he is right. We should use this chance to unravel a bigger web of connections. It could lead us outside Wakanda. This nation is rich, independent and full of resources. I bet that a lot of people are waiting for a crisis. And, If he says that he is in, we are fine."

Steve was shaking his head minutely.  
"We can't send him there alone. Without backup. He is an American diplomat here. If something happens to him here, it will be likely that a war will brew between Wakanda and America, it would cause a diplomatic accident. With our current situation, it would be the last straw." Cap voiced his opinion.

"We could send Wanda after him, she doesn't need tech, she would be undetectable" Rhodes said.

"I really don't like it." Steve muttered.

"You always say that, man." Sam spoke up for the first time.

"Agent Ross, are you sure that you want to do this?" T'Challa asked again.

The Agent nodded.  
"Being with the JCTC, inhumans that kidnaps me wouldn't put Wakanda at war with America, it is a danger of the job. I will meet the ambassador the day after tomorrow at 3 pm as scheduled."

"Very well. I thank you, Agent Ross" the King thanked him with a nod.

"Stark, it would be very appreciated if you stopped calling me 'little' Ross. As much as it pains me, you can call me Everett." At that Tony made a face of disgust.

"Nope, sorry-not-sorry! I like 'little Ross' better."

The agent blinked at him a little and then went back at the colorful dessert they had left untouched after the guard's entrance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I am back. I read this story again and I know that there are a lot of errors, is there anyone who would want to be my beta reader?
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter! Tomorrow I will post another one ;)

"Perfect, Mr.Lang. Your vitals are perfectly normal now. You are free to go and, please do not come here anytime soon!" a cheery doctor told Scott.

"See Tony?! I am fine! Now I can help you, guys!" Scott told the inventor.

The other man was sitting nearby, reading a book about non-metallic advanced technologies.

"No my dear Lang. You may be fine, but your suit is still broken. We need to fix that before you can go and kick asses.” Scott rolled his eyes.  
—————————————————— 

Natasha's role on letting Steve and Barnes escape the airport in Germany had been addressed already and since then she had been put on babysitting duty.  
She had to stay with Stark and James. They were both working on healing, physically and emotionally. 

It had been a difficult time, their interactions had been strained and she found herself questioning her decisions.  
She never thought any kind of affection and attachment had developed towards her teammates but she became aware of it when everything crumbled around her.

Then, the newly appointed Secretary Ross, had started his personal 'Witch Hunt'. 

Soon after, Stark discovered something that lead him to escape the government 'protection' as soon as he could, without letting her or Rhodes know where he was going.  
They didn’t know what exactly the inventor had found out, whatever it was it had to be important and dangerous.

When Everett Ross came to visit Colonel Rhodes, Natasha understood immediately that something was not right.  
The man seemed tired and rather sad, stressed.

“Miss Romanoff, Colonel Rhodes. How would you fancy a trip to Wakanda?”

Natasha had been pleasantly surprised and –even after Ross told them that he was coming with them- she had to admit that she felt happy for the first time after the mess and, looking at James, she could see that she wasn’t the only one.

And here she was, Wakanda. Seeing Clint again had brought back some warmth she had lost that day.  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the elevator opening.

“Nat, thank you.” 

“For what Steve? I only did it for my own conscience.” She replied quirking her lips sideways.

Steve shook his head and smiled at her.

“What do you think about this situation? Could it be a plot to get to us too?” Steve asked seriously.

“I don’t know. I will keep an eye on Ross. I don’t believe he is in on this but who knows, he is government after all.” 

After a brief moment of silent contemplation, Steve turned to Natasha.

“What is happening with the accords?” those sad blue eyes made Natasha sigh, his need to feel responsible for every action of every man would destroy him one day.

“Some vigilantes went into hiding and people are scared of the repercussions. The Secretary is beginning to lose control, I am afraid that a crisis is coming and he won’t hesitate to use violence.” She told him grimly.

Steve hummed, he was worried about what the world was becoming. He remembered the World War he had to endure and he could only hope they weren’t going towards that disaster.

“It’s late, and you had a tiring day. Good night Nat.” Steve hugged her and then left.

She may have been tired but the happiness she felt being here with them was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave Kudos, if you didn't you can let me know why not.  
> Comments are much appreciated and thank you to every reader that kept reading this! I hope you will keep following this story even if I know it will never follow canon.  
> Since Thor:Ragnarok changed a lot of my ideas and Avengers:Infinity Wars is going to be released in May (my god! This year!), I hope you will follow anyway my story.
> 
> The next chapter will have action, this one was more to ease me back into the story ;)
> 
> Happy new year, 
> 
> MyCn18


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beautiful day in Wakanda for a meeting in the gardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of action is in order, right?  
> Enjoy!

-the day of the diplomatic meeting –

Wanda was nervous, it was the first time that a life depended solely on her. Her hands shook and images of a building exploding made her shiver.

Steve saw the agitation on the girl’s face and put a steadying hand on her shoulder.  
Startled, Wanda turned towards the Captain.

“Sorry, I don’t know if I can do this.” She whispered.

“Wanda, I know you can. Trust yourself, I do.” He didn’t smile, because he knew she needed confidence and not pity.

Wanda nodded in thanks and went to her position near the gate to the gardens where Bucky and Steve would wait with her.

The rest of the group was watching a video live feed in a little sanctuary by the gardens.

“Scott, stop tinkering with that! Come here!” Tony hissed watching the brunette that had been focused on the Ant-man's suit trip over his own feet to follow the instruction.  
“I just need ten minutes and the suit is ready! I want to help as soon as I can!” 

“I know Lang, but right now we can only watch.” The inventor muttered.  
Looking towards the group gathered around the very-high-tech system, Tony was able to see that T’Challa was tense and silent, a real feline ready to act if necessary.

The two spies were watching the screens in relaxed stances, they bickered constantly and that probably helped a little to reduce the tension.

Rhodes had been ordered to follow his medical schedule –he was rather pissed by that- while Sam had been assinged to accompany the Colonel taking the task in an unsurprisingly bad way.

Ross was currently standing in front of the entrance, waiting for the ambassador.  
The man was tense and a little fidgety but he seemed rather convincing about being unaware.

He took out his handkerchief frequently to wipe at his brow and throat, curtesy of the Wakandan heat added to the stress. 

The agent had opened his mouth to ask the time when a black futuristic vehicle pulled up in front of Everett. One of the Royal Guards standing at the gate opened one of the doors to help the ambassador. An old-looking black man smiled and went to greet the Agent.

They were exchanging the usual pleasantries when the wind picked up.

-In front of the screens in the sanctuary, Scott tensed a little but only Tony seemed to see that.-

The little piece of heaven they where in was adorned by little waterfalls that seemed to feed off each other and that converged to the biggest one that could be seen in the distance. The continuous movement of water didn't allow the two men to notice the change in the air.

Looking at the live feed, Ross could be seen asking the ambassador to sit near a little pond.

They weren’t able to walk much further than the entrance of the gardens when two men appeared out of nowhere, they were quick and rough. 

While one sedated the ambassador, the other took a strange thin object out of his pocket and stabbed it in Ross' neck. 

Ross tried to fight, but whatever they gave him was acting fast and he slumped in matter of seconds.

He felt himself being dragged and everything blurred until blackness surrounded him, his last thought was T’Challa’s serious expression and the promise of safety.

The two figures took Everett Ross and brought him to the ambassador's car to load him in and then they took off towards the jungle.

On screen, T'Challa had seen every second of the event and he had instantly recognized the object they had injected Ross with. It was a fang of a rare Wakandan snake. 

Its venom wasn't deadly but its effects were a temporary partial paralysis and it acted as truth serum. He hadn't expected that and now they were all in danger while Ross could get himself killed the second he spoke.

"We have a problem! Captain, Lieutenant Barnes, you need to follow the car with Miss Maximoff and bring back Ross immediately!" T'Challa alerted them and then he told everyone via comms what he knew.  
———————————————————  
Wanda had heard T'Challa and she could already see the soldiers appearing at her sides. They were shouting at each-other.

"Buck, Wanda and I will take care of the inhumans while you take Ross and bring him to safety."

"Wouldn't it be best if you get Ross and I help Wanda? And the inhumans were too powerful for the whole team, what do you think that the two of you can do?!" Bucky was already losing his patience.

"We will merely distract them. Once we have Ross, we’ll go back to the Palace as fast as we can." Steve told him.

"I don't think that they'll let you go that easily" Bucky shook his head.

In the meantime they saw their target stop near an abandoned house. The two thugs opened the door of the carriage and extracted the unconscious Ross.  
They saw the door of the house open to reveal a mountain of a man.

The three heroes moved so they could have better visual. They saw them positioning Ross on a chair and the massively muscular man waved off the woman who had begun to tie Ross' hands together.

\--- inside the house --- 

"Don't bother, Oshaka. He is paralyzed, he cannot escape us." 

The woman stared at him and tied the agent anyway then left the room.

"Do you feel anything, R’ Tesh?"  
"No, as I told you before, this house is made of metallic foundations and the carriage we took is not helping me to distinguish what is supposed to be here and what is not." The man huffed.  
"You know we had to be fast, this was our only option. Very well then. Let's wake our friend." The towering man smiled.

R' Tesh threw water on Ross' face and the short agent came to his senses with a jolt.

"Wha-"  
"Welcome, Mr. Ross. As you are probably wondering, you cannot move. So, if I were you I would avoid tempting any sort of escape." Ross' mind was still a little uncooperative and his eyes were adjusting to the dark sorroundings.

The booming voice went on. "I am T'Channa. I believe we can work toghether on something."

"Oh yes? Well, I don't think this is the best way to begin a coalition." Ross snarked, even if he couldn’t move he was able to let his annoiance be known.

"Oh, my dear Agent. This is not a coalition. You will do as I say or else, I will kill you and the rest of Wakanda. I want you to do as I say just because I would prefer to become a King, and -as you may know- to do that I need people to rule. Do not misunderstand my actions as an incapability to get what I want. It is just the way I want to take it, that brings you into the picture."  
Despite Ross' heavy breathing filling the room as T'Channa paused, the agent’s look didn’t waver under the hard stare, not showing his turmoil.

“Now, answer me this. What are the Avengers’ weaknesses?” he asked smiling viciously.  
Ross struggled with words. He was making chocked sounds, he felt the instinct to answer the man when understanding dawned on him. He tried to avoid the matter and did the only thing he could think of.

“You know, I-I heard stories about a guy named Mephisto, I know that he is from around here, in Wakanda.” the agent swallowed and it was visible now that he was struggling, he was starting to sweat and some perspiration was forming on his forehead.  
“I think th-that it would be cool to meet him.” Ross was stalling and telling the truth he knew he could give to T’Channa.

Said man was looking at him shocked, he hadn’t expected it to turn out like this. The American was supposed to be a bureaucrat, an easy prey.  
“Answer my question! You insolent man!” he then charged and punched Ross in the stomach.

The only thing Ross could do was grunt in pain, his paralysis didn’t allow him to curl up after the blow.

\--- Outside the house --- 

When the one known as ‘Oshaka’ came out, Bucky acted instinctively and neutralized the woman, with quick and silent movements.  
When he turned back to face his companions he found Steve and Wanda looking at him with unimpressed expressions, still crouching.

“Couldn’t you just wait for my signal?” Steve deadpanned.  
Bucky shrugged and Wanda rolled her eyes.

“Look, Ross his fighting the venom.” Wanda said seeing the angry reaction of Ross’ captor at something the agent had told him.

Then Ross was punched and Steve stood up.

“We need to intervene now. Wanda you’ll have to distract the man with weather-like powers, I will take care of the big one. Buck, when I call you, you come in and take Ross. Remember, the man is paralyzed, you’ll have to help him and bring him to safety.” the others nodded and went into action.

\--- Inside the house ---

T’Channa swung another blow at the agent’s face twisting Ross’ head right. Unable to move it back, Everett heard the door burst open and the commotion of a fight but the only thing he was able to see were the wooden boards of the room.

He was able to hear Captain America’s urgent voice calling for Lieutenant Barnes. Seconds after that, a hand turned his head and Ross found himself looking in the Winter Soldier’s eyes.  
Barnes nodded as if to say ‘We got you covered.’ then went to untie him.

Steve was still distracting T’Channa while Wanda was struggling to control R’ Tesh.  
Bucky went to help Ross stand but, when he saw that the pale agent wasn’t going to help him with the escape, he had to opt for a fireman carry. Once he was sure of his hold, he started running out of the building and toward the Palace.

Steve and Wanda intensified their attacks to fend off the enemies while Bucky brought Ross away.  
The moment they saw that the two were out and far enough, they retreated and started running in the same direction.

T’Channa and R’Tesh tried to stop them but they had been too fast. The two turned to where Oshaka was still unconscious and went to help her.  
“I told you that they wouldn't have been unprepared.” T’Channa hissed through clenched teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I am going to post other chapters but I am not really convinced I will ever finish this.  
> I thank who is following this story and keeps giving me kudos and support, I really appreciate it.
> 
> I don't know where I am going with this fiction but I will post everything I have done for this.  
> I have four more chapters already written.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

They had to stop eventually. Once they were sure that they had not been followed by the inhumans, they put Ross against a tree while Steve looked for the right direction to the Royal Palace. Wanda was silently pleased with Ross’ mishap, he had ordered the straitjacket on her after all.

“Tony, we have Ross. I reactivated our comms since it seems safe. Could you track us and tell us where to go from here?” Steve asked.

“Cap! Finally! Give me a second.” after a brief pause the inventor spoke again. “Well, you seem to be in the middle of the jungle. Go east and you’ll find the Palace right in front of you, you will probably be here in ten minutes. Do you need any help with Ross?”

“No, we will manage. Thank you, Tony.”

“See you soon, Cap.” the inventor closed the communication.

“You heard him right?” Steve asked Bucky and Wanda. They both nodded.

“We can walk normally now. Let me help you with him, Buck.” Steve said and went to take one of Ross’ arms. Bucky followed and took the other, pulling the agent up with them. 

“You ok, Ross?” Steve apparently was the only one willing to talk to him.

“Just a wounded pride.” Ross muttered and Steve snorted while Wanda smiled minutely. 

They walked in silence, the only sounds were their boots on the wild soil and the rhythmic crick-crack of woods.

After the first five minutes of walking, Ross hissed in pain and Steve stopped.

“What’s wrong?”  
“Headache. Concussion…couldn’t diminish the impact. Please, don’t ask...” he said haltingly. The venom effects were intensifying.

“We need to move Steve. We have to go faster, we are nearing the Palace.” Bucky told the Captain.

—————————————————————————————— 

“I spoke with Steve before, they should have been here already! Where are they?!” Rhodes heard his friend ask, looking at him, he found Tony pacing hysterically at the entrance of the Palace.

A team of doctors was already at the gates to take the group in the moment they arrived.

T’Challa was watching the point where Steve and the others were meant to appear, his apparent calm demeanor was belied by the tenseness in his shoulders and his hard stare.

Scott was plain worried and he didn’t even bother to try and hide it. Clint and Natasha -being the perfect spies they were- wore the same unperturbed expression.  
Sam wasn’t able to wait and had changed into his combat gear, he was flying above the gardens when he saw the group coming out of the jungle and going towards the Palace.

Scott released a sigh of relief when he spotted Cap and Bucky with Wanda and the JCTC agent.

Doctors took Ross from the soldiers and began their job, wheeling the man inside the building.

“Mr. Ross, I am doctor Chasi. Can you tell me your injuries?” at the question, Ross’ eyes filled with agitation. The woman looked up at the others.

“He was stabbed with something that acts as truth serum, I believe that right now it would be better if we do not ask questions.” Bucky told the doctor. She nodded and then opened her mouth to ask them what happened but Steve preceded her.  
“Apart from the snake venom, he sustained a blow to the stomach and his head. Before, he said that he had an headache.” 

By the time they had reached the entrance, Sam had joined them taking Wanda to a check up room. T’Challa immediately flanked the doctors and looked at Ross.

“What happened?” he asked sternly the doctor.  
“Nothing life threatening, my King. The venom will wear off before morning.” T’Challa nodded and let the doctors bring their new patient away.

“We could take advantage of this.” Bucky told the King. The spies seemed more alert and intrigued.

“You mean that we should go and visit him?” the corner of Natasha's mouth quirked up.

“Give him an hour, then I will allow you to go with Barton.” T’Challa told her quietly.

Steve obviously wasn’t happy with it and opened his mouth to let them know it but Bucky made sure to send him his best ‘don’t-even-try-to-say-that’ look and was happy to see his friend shutting his lips closed, even if it was in a thin and tense line.

“He seemed a little out of it…are you sure that it would be the right thing to do? He will remember what you did, he wouldn’t even try to trust us anymore.” Scott interjected. Steve smiled triumphantly at Scott and then he turned it towards Bucky who rolled his eyes.

“Scott, do you seriously think that Ross came here to ‘trust’ us? We know that something else brought him here. This is our chance at discovering what.” Tony said startling Bucky, he still had difficulty accepting to be on Stark’s side.

“I know. I am just telling you that I don’t like it. It feels like cheating, to me.” Scott muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I am sorry for the delay, after seeing Back Panther and knowing that Avengers:Infinity War is going to be released in four days, I am basically going to post everything I have since I know that I am universes away from the MCU plot.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter.  
> Kudos and constructive criticism/comments are appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally we introduce someone else.

“Agent Romanoff, Mr. Barton, I only ask that you stop before he may get overly stressed.” the nurse looked at them with a hard and pointed gaze.

“Don’t worry, we will be quick.” Natasha reassured her with a soft little smile, Clint knew it was fake and smiled innocently with her. 

“Yeah, maybe tomorrow…” Clint muttered once the nurse had left them in the hallway of the med bay.   
Natasha smacked him on the back of his head to which the archer lamented with a winy ‘Ouch!’. Nat rolled her eyes but she was smiling, she had missed him.

They entered Ross’ room and found the agent on the brink of consciousness. He was pale and shivering, probably because of the fever that indicated that the body was fighting whatever was in his system.

The spies nodded at each other and approached the bed.

“Agent Ross.” Natasha called.

The man mumbled and his eyes opened enough for him to recognize the two spies in front of him.

“Romanoff.” his voice cracked at the end but the sarcastic tone was there.

“Why are you here?” Clint asked bluntly.

The Agent shook his head minutely and bit his lower lip to prevent words from coming out without his consent.

“What is your business here, in Wakanda?” Nat tried again but the man shook his head.

“J-Jacket. Pockets.” he told them with his scratchy voice. Clint moved to the containers where Ross’ personal belongings were stashed with his jacket and took the only object he could find in the pockets, a phone. 

“Open it.” Natasha could see that they needed to be fast, the agent seemed barely able to keep his eyes open.

Clint opened the device and found what Ross wanted to let them know. He crushed the phone and then, to be sure, he threw it into the glass of water on the bedside table.  
Ross nodded and Nat hurried to ask him the question again.

“Why are you here, Ross.”  
“The General is trying to apprehend the Hulk. He wants Rogers’ blood and Stark engineering knowledge. I was waiting for better timing to tell you. I insisted on my personal presence because of that.” the sentence had left the agent gasping in pain and Clint went to get a new glass of water. Nat helped Ross and then went on with another question.

“Then why let me and Colonel Rhodes come here?”

“You will be safe here. I was- I was looking for a new vigilante when I heard of his plan.” he stopped and breathed in weakly.  
“The accords were just an excuse for him to control you, experiment on you and find a way to gain more power for himself. Please, let the serum wear off, then I will answer you as truthfully as I can. This is not pleasant.” he muttered, tired and in pain.

Nat looked at Clint and the archer shrugged. They nodded their thanks to Ross and left the room.

The nurse was waiting for them outside the door and she pinned them with an angry stare.  
“He needs rest and quiet.” she deadpanned.

“He is fine, nurse. He was in pain even before we entered the room.” Natasha told her and then turned towards the exit of the medical wing while Clint took some jell-o that another nurse was bringing to a patient.

“Clint!” Natasha called him from the stairs. 

The ex-agent hurried to catch up with the Widow, thanking the grumpy nurse.  
—————————————————————————————— 

— New York —

“So, if you’ve found Odin, you’d all return to Asgard, promptly?” the sorcerer hypothesized while refilling magically the pint of beer he had given to his guest.

“Oh, yes. Promptly.” The Thunder God affirmed.

“Great! Allow me to help you.” Strange stood up and went to retrieve the eye of Agamotto.


	17. Chapter 17

King T’Challa had left them just before Clint and Nat went to do their questioning.  
Once Sam and Wanda had joined them, the group opted for waiting in the hall. 

“What did they ask him?” Scott inquired looking towards Steve, Bucky and Wanda.

“I don’t know…but I am sure he didn’t answer their questions. That’s how he got the concussion.” Wanda answered Scott.

The man nodded “Good, but…I don’t get it.” 

“Scott, What are you talking about?” Steve asked him confused and a little exasperated, they were tired.

“We said that Ross was here to get informations…but his willingness to help in this matter doesn’t match with it. If he wanted something, he wouldn’t have risked his safety just to stop some guys. Not to mention that these guys are not his responsibility, they are not Americans. His offer of help was too easy. Maybe he is here to get us to trust him, after all.” Scott explained.

Bucky was staring silently at Scott while Steve, Sam and Wanda wore the same look of contemplation. Tony was sipping his ever present glass of scotch while Rhodey was looking at the stars that had begun showing in the clear Wakandan sky.

“Ah..” Bucky finally said as if he just solved a puzzle.

Steve’s eyes snapped to him, waiting the explanation of his friend. 

“When I saw him on the landing deck, he seemed tired, stressed but maybe it’s because he came here in hopes to avoid something. We just need to wait for Clint and Natasha, they will be able to tell us something."

After ten minutes of silence, the spies entered the room, becoming the center of their attention.

“What did he tell you?” Sam asked as soon as he had seen them.

“You were right Tony, he had bugs. He was being controlled. He told us some useful things but, the rest of our questions will have to wait until the serum is out of his system.” Natasha said walking towards the sofa.

“Eh…Miss… Can you tell us the useful stuff now? It’s pretty late…” Scott had never addressed the Black Widow and he didn’t know how to approach her.

She merely quirked her lips in a smirk and spoke to the man with a soft and seductive voice “You can call me Natasha…Scott.” to which the brunette reacted with a full-body blush.

Clint rolled his eyes at Nat’s provocations and decided to be the one telling the real stuff.

“Ross says that he heard Thaddeus Ross’ plans about what to do with us once we were in the Sokovian Accords. According to Everett Ross, the General’s original plans were to take down the Hulk, get Cap’s blood and some engineering leverage from Stark. He wanted to be here to ensure our safety, it seems. The General has always had the obsession for power...” Clint finished quietly.

“I believe him, he told us this under truth serum afterall. Tomorrow we will know more, I think it would be best if I go and update the King on this." In the silence Natasha stood up and exited the room.

“Tomorrow we will all assist the questioning.” Clint statement closed the discussion and the others nodded in approval.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Steve murmured to the group.

“I don’t know about you, but I am going to have nightmares about Big Ross.” Tony said clapping Steve shoulder.

“Yeah…” Scott muttered behind them.

\--- Washington d.c., Secretary of the United States of America’s Study --- 

“What do you mean you lost him?!” the Secretary boomed and slammed a fist on his mahogany desk.

“The tracker stopped sending signals two hours ago. We cannot access audio or geolocation, Sir.” the voice on the other end of the line was panicked and fearful, frightened, and rightly so.

“Damned idiot! We need to have eyes and hears on him! If that son of a bitch is compromising this mission I’ll skin him alive myself! Find another way!”

“Yes, sir. What do we tell the JCTC?”

“Nothing! They are incompetents! And find that DAMNED STRANGE!” with that, Ross closed the call without expecting any response.

He was fuming. Everett Ross had been allowed to fly to Wakanda because of his plan. He wanted to lure the rest of the ‘Avengers’ back in America putting pressure on their families and their loved ones.

At least that was the plan he knew of…then he began to suspect that the agent had another agenda when he first contacted him. The hostility had always been there but it was never this open.

That idiot betrayed him. And Secretary Thaddeus Ross was going to make him pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last chapter I have. You can immagine that it will take some time to hear from me again.  
> If you have any ideas of how I should continue the story please let me know and we'll see what can be done :)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think of it, I accept every kind of constructive criticism.


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